Trophy Case
by divarivas
Summary: Sean's back from Wasaga, but his attitude towards Emma is anything but charming.
1. Some Roads Lead Nowhere

CHAPTER 1

"Some Roads Lead Nowhere"

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I sighted my friends standing by the lockers and began to make my way over to them. Manny seemed to be chattering excitedly over something, while JT and Liberty were bluntly flirting with each other, but it was nothing I wasn't used to. Manny squealed when she noticed me. Just after I started speeding up, I slammed straight into someone's chest. Stunned, I stumbled backwards a few steps. As the guy grabbed my arm to steady me, I noticed something familiar about him. I sneaked a glance at his face and let out an involuntary gasp.

"Sean," I breathed out, speechless. He only patted me on the shoulder before casually walking away. To say the least, I was shocked to see him. Nearly a year ago he'd moved to Wasaga Beach to live with his parents during the aftermath of the shooting. Since then, I'd had no direct contact with him. I'd heard rumors that he had turned into some sort of heartbreaker, dating girls left and right. Truth be told, I might have a few unresolved feelings for him that I've pushed to the back of my head, but I would never allow them to control me again.

"Was that Sean?" Manny exclaimed when I reached her. I wasn't surprised if she had a couple doubts. She only saw him from the back, and he had certainly bulked up. His hair was longer and slightly shaggy, he was at least three inches taller, and he gave off a 'don't mess with me' vibe. I nodded and glanced behind me, only to realize he was out of visible range. I was more that taken aback by the small chain of events that had occurred during the previous minute. I blinked a few times and shook these thoughts away. In comparison to last year, this year was perfect, with only a few minor set backs.

"Why is he back from Wasaga already?" Toby wondered aloud. I shook my head; I was just as clueless as he was, but theories were beginning to form in my brain. Maybe he and his dad had a falling out. His dad was an alcoholic, so there could be some correlation. Or it's possible he returned for Ellie. I'd heard them declare their love for each other before we drove back to Toronto, which was something I had never said to him before. I would love to say that he might have come back for me, but judging by our interactions only moments ago, I had to rule that one out. But Tracker moved away a couple years ago, so I didn't have the slightest idea where he might be living, unless he's back on welfare.

The bell rang, and I scurried to my first period. I took my usual seat in the front of the class and set my bag down. Ms. Kwan was still setting up the work for today, so most of the students were currently chatting amongst themselves. As I was about to strike up a conversation with Craig, I heard a distinct name that caused me to eavesdrop on what Marco had to say. I could only make out every other word, so I only understood about half of it. From what I could comprehend, Ellie had yet to hear about Sean's return and Marco didn't want to be the one to break the news to her. Apparently Ellie had grown a little cold towards Sean as she felt that he had ditched her. I didn't blame her. I felt the same way, to some extent.

"Alright students..." Ms. Kwan drawled on about an assignment we would be working on for the next few classes, but I didn't pay her any attention. I never thought I'd see the day Sean was back from Wasaga Beach. I realized I'd seen him for less than a minute, but he appeared to be so over everything. He didn't say one word to me when I ran into me. No 'Hi Emma,' no 'How've you been,' not even an 'Are you okay?' He had just patted me on the shoulder and was off, as if it was no big deal. Maybe it was meaningless to him. Maybe _I_ was meaningless to him.

Lunch arrived after three eternal classes, and I hurried to meet Manny. I spotted her in the lunch line, and was about to join her when I noticed the guy standing next to her. Sean. They were laughing at something and looked a little too friendly for my liking, but I regained my composure and nonchalantly made my way to them. When Sean saw me, he told Manny he would see her later, without greeting me or even looking me in the eye. Manny threw him her award-winning smile before he left. I widened my eyes a little and waited for her to explain.

"Sean and I are lab partners," she revealed. I nodded as if that clarified everything for me and dropped the subject. We sat down across from JT and Liberty and Manny picked up on their conversation, while I stayed silent. I focused my gaze on Sean, who was sitting with a few girls. I noticed Jay sitting with a couple of his rowdy friends and wondered why he wouldn't sit with them instead. Jay locked eyes with me for a second and nodded. I put the pieces of the puzzle together. Sean found out about us.

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 _ **A/N: In case it wasn't clear, this takes place almost a year after the shooting. Everything that occurred during the shooting and in the aftermath is still set and stone, such as Jay and Emma hooking up. Anyways, please review. I'd love to have at least ten reviews before I put up the next chapter, but that isn't a requirement. Thank you for reading; I sincerely hope you enjoyed it!**_


	2. All These Things That I've Done

CHAPTER 2

"All These Things That I've Done"

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I could tell that Manny was trying to spare me the details, but she and Sean were evidently hitting it off. Somehow this came as a shock to me. They never appeared to have anything in common besides me while Sean and I were together. If my speculations were correct and Sean was out of the dark, then it was extremely possible he was attempting to even the score. Clearly, he was aware of my weaknesses. The lunch bell rang, and I immediately jumped up and hurried to Jay. He stepped aside from his disorderly friends as soon as he noticed me.

"Greenpeace, long time no see," he greeted me in a mockingly welcoming tone. I opened my mouth to respond when I caught Sean watching me through the corner of my eye. Jay followed my gaze and snorted. I jerked my head up to direct my attention on Jay. He raised his eyebrows and nodded at the table I had escaped from. I squinted my eyes in confusion and turned slightly. Much to my discomfort, Manny was flipping her hair and batting her eyes flirtatiously at Sean. I forced myself to believe that it meant nothing, because truth be told, it was almost in her nature to seduce guys, yet that wasn't satisfying me.

"Come on, don't be a hypocrite," he laughed out. I instantly realized what he was referring to, but I was a little bit surprised he knew the word 'hypocrite.' I didn't take what he said to heart, however, it did make me wonder whether or not I was being unreasonable about Sean and Manny. I had barely even seen them together, and maybe their friendship would be short-lived. I had nothing to worry about.

I glanced up at the clock and noted the time, which read 12:32. The late bell rang at 12:35, so I rushed to Media Immersion. Naturally, Sean was seated next to Alex, and the only vacant computer was beside her. I reluctantly set my bags down and took the seat. As expected, she didn't acknowledge me. She had been giving me the cold shoulder ever since she found out about my rendezvous with Jay. We certainly weren't friends before, but there was a noticeable change in attitude. Months ago, she would smirk and simply give me a look that told me she was better than me, but now she wouldn't even lay her eyes on me.

Before I'd sat down, they appeared to be arguing about something, but after, there was dead silence. I tucked my hair behind my ear and tried not to let it bother me. I sneaked a peek at Sean only for him to catch me and look me straight in the eye, daring me to look away. I tore my gaze away from him and towards my computer. I heard him scoff just as Snake, or Mr. Simpson, began to explain a new assignment. Apparently, we would be working on creating a mock website through a school program, in groups of two.

"Alright, after I list off your name go directly to your partner and wait for further instructions," Snake continued. "Heather Sinclair with Alex Nunez. Caroline Mikaelson with Blair Bass. Lydia Stilinski with Carrie Kydd. Sean Cameron with Emma Nelson..." Snake proceeded down the list, but I had lost interest in what he was saying. To put it lightly, Sean looked unhappy. Alex had already shifted to a seat next to Heather, so I scooted into her former seat.

"Hey, Sean," I whispered politely as Snake finished off the partners.

"Spare me the niceties," he said under his breath, and my heart dropped. I had been praying I was mistaken, and Sean was only in a rush when I'd run into him in the hall. Clearly, I had only been fooling myself.

"Who told you?" I questioned him, not only out of curiosity, but also out of spite.

"Doesn't matter, Em. What matters is that it happened," Sean responded bitterly, and I wished with all my heart I could take back those days I'd followed Jay to the ravine. Snake returned to explaining the directions, until there was a loud, startling knock on the door. Snake let out a mini gasp before opening the door and displaying a troubled look before a smile. I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Class, we have a new student. He just transferred here from Lakehurst. Meet Drake Lempkey." The kid was a little bit scrawny and rough looking, with pale skin, curly red hair, and a strange grin on his face. He had on a black hoodie with baggy jeans. He didn't look shy or nervous at all. He stood straight up with his shoulders pushed back.

"Who wants to volunteer to have Drake join their group?" Snake asked the class. Nobody raised their hands.

"Great, he can join Sean and Emma," he decided. Great. The perks of being the teacher's stepdaughter.

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 _ **A/N: Please excuse how cliche it may seem. I'm a little bit of a sucker for cheesiness in some cases, but trust me, it's going to develop a steady plotline. Also, I threw in a few pretty obvious references to other tv shows and I'm hoping some of you will notice them. Anyways, I'm really excited for the rest of this story, but I don't want to spoil anything. I will tell you this one thing, though: You're in for some major plot twists. Please review! Thank you for reading. :)**_

 _ **PS: If you didn't recognize the name of the new student, I would think a little harder, maybe to season six, to that episode we all try so hard to pretend never happened, and remember that this story takes place less than a year after the shooting, so it would be placed somewhere during seasons four or five, so the 'little event' didn't occur...at least not yet.**_


	3. Revenge Is Best Served Drunk

CHAPTER 3

"Revenge Is Best Served Drunk"

I smiled warmly at the new guy, but honestly I was indifferent to the kid. He was a little stand-offish, not that I minded. Sean hadn't said a word to me since he made it pretty clear he wanted nothing to do with me. To be fair, he hadn't spoken to Drake either, so maybe he just wasn't in the mood for socializing. If only this was just socializing we were dealing with, but Snake reiterated several times that this was a huge part of our grade. His silence certainly created tension, though.

"Any good ideas for the website?" I asked the two of them, but it was mainly directed towards Drake. He shrugged his shoulders and adjusted the hood over his head. He came off as a little sketchy, but who was I to judge. The two of us continued with brief, awkward conversations that Sean declined to join in on. After sixty eternal minutes, the class ended and the bell rang. I was nearly out the door when Drake stopped me. I jumped slightly and turned to face him. He was quiet for a second before he spoke to me.

"You know, you're really pretty," he said with a crooked smile. I was appalled by his incredibly blunt flirting, but I had to admit that his confidence was a little attractive. It reminded me of Sean a little - hard on the outside, soft on the inside. And it was nice to be sought after because I wasn't usually considered the biggest catch. That, and everyone assumed I was in love with Sean. The only two people other than him to take a risk with me were Chris and Jay. Before I had the chance to reply to Drake, he walked away. I watched him go without another word, stunned.

At the end of the day, I went to meet Manny by her locker as always, but she was nowhere to be seen. I eventually found her in front of the school with Liberty. I breathed a sigh of relief, glad to know she wasn't with Sean. Manny widened her sympathetic eyes, clearly regretting her mistake. I reached them and nodded at Manny, letting her know that I wasn't angry with her.

"Manny here just convinced me to attend a party hosted by your former boyfriend," Liberty filled me in. I frowned and gestured for them to clarify. Liberty patted me on the arm and hurried away, probably to find JT. I patiently waited for Manny to provide me with an explanation. She opened her mouth and closed it; it appeared that she was searching for the right words.

"Sean's having a party today, I mean, it's more like a small get-together, and he told me I could come," Manny didn't look me in the eyes when she continued. "He kinda told me not to tell you." At least she was attempting to be sensitive to my feelings, I told myself. However, it disturbed me that she asked Liberty to join her, leaving me to be the odd one out. She finally locked eyes with me, and I shook my head to show her that I wasn't affected by my lack of an invitation whatsoever. It was a lie, but I wouldn't let Manny in on how much pain Sean was making me feel.

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I peeled off the clothes I'd worn to school and threw on sweatpants and an old t-shirt. I put my hair up in a bun and sat down at the kitchen table to begin my homework. It would be an understatement to say I was mentally exhausted. I glanced at the clock. It was nearing eight o'clock, so the party, or "small get-together," would most likely begin soon. I pushed away those thoughts and concentrated solely on the work, until about two hours later I received a distressed phone call from Liberty.

"Hello?" I picked up the phone.

"Emma, you have to get here. Manny's drunk and she's making a scene and I haven't a clue how to handle it. I'm not accustomed to dealing with these types of scenarios."

"Liberty, I can't. You know Sean told Manny specifically not to come," I protested.

"I know, I know, but you have to get here _now_. It's getting bad. Look, I have to go. I'll text you the address," she told me anxiously before she hung up. It had occurred to me when I first saw him that he wouldn't have anywhere to stay, so I was more than curious to discover his living conditions. He obviously wasn't living on the side of the road if he was hosting a party.

Realizing I had no means of transportation, I grabbed my mom's keys and slipped out the window. She was sleeping, but I couldn't risk making a peep. My phone dinged and I was about to put the address she'd sent me into the GPS, but did a double take after I read it. It was the same one he'd had when he lived with Tracker. He must have gotten the house back.

I was already half way to the party when I noticed I was still in my sweats. I mentally slapped myself because I didn't have time to turn around and change. I pulled over on the side of the road leading up to his house behind a long line of cars. I rushed inside to find Liberty and Manny. I'd searched about half the party, receiving once overs from half the guests, when I saw something out of the corner of my eye. It was Manny...She was making out with Sean. Both were clearly drunk.

Liberty emerged from the crowd and I could see that she pitied me.

Gathering up the courage, I coughed loudly. Manny and Sean both turned their heads towards me. "Emma, you aren't allowed to be here, remember?" Manny exclaimed, giggling. Sean was silent.

I grabbed Manny's arm, "Come on, we're going home." Manny protested loudly but I ignored her, blinking back the tears that were threatening to fall. Sean didn't look remotely apologetic. In fact, he looked smug, which only caused my heart to wrench more. It didn't matter how drunk they were. In my eyes, nothing would excuse their actions.

"Manny! We're going _home_ , now."

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 _ **A/N: I sincerely hope you're enjoying this story so far. I'm certainly enjoying the writing process. Please review, it really means a lot, and I notice and appreciate every single review. Thank you for reading this far!**_


	4. Where Do Broken Hearts Go

**_A/N: I rewrote this chapter three times and I'm still not very happy with it. That's why it's taken me so long to update. I don't think this chapter flows very well, but there's a lot of Sean/Emma interaction. Anyways, I hope you like it! Feel free to leave feedback! (Also, some of these quotes and even the situation is a little bit like the Clare/Jake/Alli love triangle, so I apologize for that._**

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CHAPTER 4

"Where Do Broken Hearts Go?"

I stared at the ceiling, restlessly. Manny was dead asleep beside me. I was aware that Sean may want to get back at me, but that didn't mean I was prepared for it. He had no right to be angry with me for fooling around with Jay. We had been broken up for over a year when it happened, and he was miles away in Wasaga Beach. It may seem like a double standard, but these were two entirely different situations. I was barely coping with the aftermath of the shooting, and I made a few poor decisions, one of which included hooking up with the king of the ravine. On the other hand, Sean made out with my best friend as a revenge attempt. A successful revenge attempt, that is.

I glanced at Manny. She let out a small snore every once in a while. I squirmed around, trying to force myself into a comfortable position. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I grabbed my phone and carefully, I slipped out of bed and laid on the couch for a few hours.

When decided to return to my room, Manny was nowhere to be seen. I glanced at the window. It was wide open. I began to panic. Manny was extremely drunk and could easily get into trouble. Searching the city would be useless. I picked up my phone and called Liberty.

"Hello?" she answered groggily.

"Have you seen Manny?" I asked.

"No, isn't she with you?"

"No, but it's fine, she probably just went home," I said unconvincingly. There is no way Manny would go home to her father while drunk. Reluctantly, I dialed Sean's number. Surprisingly, he answered on the second ring. He probably felt bad about kissing Manny.

"Yeah, I was expecting a call from you," he said. Just hearing his voice caused my heart to beat rapidly.

"Is Manny with you?" I asked, pushing away the butterflies. It felt surreal having a conversation with him.

"No, she left a few minutes ago when I wouldn't, uh, never mind," he informed me. How could she have possibly walked all the way to Sean's house? It was at least six or seven miles away. Oh my god. I sprinted upstairs and looked out the window. Manny had taken my mom's car.

"Well, hope you find her, I guess. See you at school," he said when I didn't respond.

"Wait! Did she say where she was going?" I asked him in a frantic whisper, trying not to wake my mom or Snake.

"She's probably fine. I bet she just didn't want to sit there and listen to you judge her. It's not her fault, you know," he told me. That hit home, but at this moment, I didn't have time to pity myself. Manny was drunk and helpless, and I needed to find her before she got hurt.

"She took my mom's car, Sean. She's really drunk and I don't want her to get hurt," I explained as calmly as I possibly could during a crisis.

"You mean you don't want your mom's car to get hurt," Sean said coldly.

"Stop it! I know you're mad about Jay and me, but frankly, you don't have any right to be. We weren't together when it happened. We weren't even together before it happened. You were with Ellie, remember her? And you said it wasn't Manny's fault you kissed her, right? Well have you forgiven Jay? Because by the looks of it, you two aren't speaking to each other. Clearly, we aren't getting back together, so just let it go!" I was in tears by now.

He was silent for a moment, and when he answered, his voice was soft. "Manny kissed me, okay? And it was stupid of me to kiss her back, but I was hurt. When Manny came back to my house and threw herself at me, I turned her down. I wish I could hear the same from you." I tried to respond, but I choked on my tears.

"No, Manny didn't say where she was going. Maybe she went back to her own house," he finally answered my original question.

"She would never go home drunk. Her dad would kick her out. I don't know what to do. I would drive around and look for her, but there isn't exactly a car I could use now, and I can't wake up my mom and Snake because they'd be angry at me for sneaking out, and I would call JT since he has a car, but he's awful in serious situations, and I don't know anyone else with a car. I wouldn't even know where to look if I did have a car. You were my only hope, and I'd like to say since she's my best friend I know exactly where she'd go, but the truth is I have no clue, and I probably shouldn't have even called you because I knew you wouldn't want to help but I just really wanted to hear your voi-," I told him all of this until he cut me off. I hadn't even realized I was rambling, all my thoughts just came spewing out.

"Emma, stop. Do you want me to help?"

"Would you?"


	5. Close To Me

_**A/N: I'm not proud of this chapter, but I hope you like it. And please, if you have anything to say about this fic - anything at all - please leave feedback.**_

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CHAPTER 5

"Close To Me"

"Can I ask you something?" I whispered about ten minutes after Sean picked me up. He glanced at me before focusing his gaze back on the road. He was silent for a moment too long before he responded.

"Only if I can ask you something." I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion but nodded my head in agreement.

"Why did you sleep with Jay?" he asked me. I sighed as I stared out the window. I should have seen this coming. I was about to answer when I noticed his word choice. He'd said 'sleep with.' Either he was just categorizing it under 'sleeping with' or he thought I'd had sex with Jay, which I had not. Suddenly, a thought popped into my mind. How had he even found out about Jay and me? I'd assumed Jay told him, but maybe it wasn't.

"I didn't have sex with him, if that's what you think," I informed him. We stopped at a red light, and he faced me.

"You didn't?" I would have to be deaf not to hear the happiness in his voice, and I felt my lips form a small smile. Who had told him I'd slept with Jay? I didn't want to ask, but I had to find out sometime somehow.

"No, but we did, uh...do other things," I explained, searching for the right words to use. "Who told you I slept with him?" I decided I'd rather find out sooner than later. The light turned green and the car began to move again.

"I overheard Manny and that religious girl talking about you," he told me. I widened my eyes and internally screamed. What the hell has Manny been doing lately? She knows the aftermath of the shooting was an extremely tough time for me. I tried to convince myself that the topic just happened to come up. It probably just slipped out and Manny accidentally shared the secret.

"What exactly did she say to Darcy?" I questioned.

"I don't remember completely. I was walking with Jay and we walked past them at the locker. The only words I could really make out were when Darcy practically screamed 'Emma Nelson hooked up with Jay Hogart?' and Manny saying 'I know, it's crazy, right? She went cuckoo bananas after the shooting, though.' Then they both laughed and I turned and walked the other direction from Jay. Haven't spoken to him since," Sean explained.

The car was quiet for at least five minutes. I couldn't believe my ears. When Manny was going through a rough patch after the Peter fiasco, I was there for her. I didn't want to blame her for all of this, but I couldn't help it.

"I would take it back if I could, you know," I said, breaking the silence. Sean opened his mouth to respond when my phone rang. It was Manny.

"Manny? Where are you? I've been looking for you everywhere!" I exclaimed. However, the voice that replied was not one that I had expected.

"Emma?" the voice that spoke into the phone was clearly male.

"Who is this?" I asked, and I noticed Sean turn to me, scrunching his eye brows together.

"It's Drake, from your Media Immersion class," he told me. I turned to Sean and mouthed 'Drake.' He tilted his head in confusion. I asked Drake what he was doing with Manny's phone, and he answered frantically.

"So I was driving home from work, and as I was turning left - the light was green - Manny speeds straight into my car. Her light was red. The cars both skidded off the road, so we're in the grass. Manny's unconscious, I found her phone I just didn't know who-," Drake said until I cut him off.

"Where are you?" I asked him on the verge of tears. He told me the street corner and hung up.

"What's going on?" Sean asked me immediately after I put my phone down. I simply told him the streets and faced my head towards the window. He obliged by making a left turn and heading down the road. Neither of us said a word. I was so nervous, I couldn't think straight. I desperately wished that I could turn back time and stop Manny from sneaking out. Or even further and stop her from going to the party. Or how about to before she told Darcy about Jay and me.

When we arrived at the scene, the police were already there. I jumped out of the car and sprinted over the police.

"Is she going to be okay?" I asked one of the officers, Sean close behind me.

The officer eyed me for a moment, as if he was debating whether or not he was going to answer me. "She passed out from the impact, and it's likely she has a concussion, but she'll be okay." I let out a huge sigh of relief. Manny was taken on a stretcher into the ambulance. I asked an officer if I could ride with her, but he said that I couldn't because I wasn't family.

"Emma? Hey, I'm really sorry about your friend. I know it wasn't my fault, I just...I don't know, but I'm really sorry," Drake apologized to us when he walked over to us. I glanced at his car. I felt bad for the guy. Manny's drunk driving had severely damaged if not totaled his car. The red head seemed really shaken up.

"No, I know it's not your fault," I told him sympathetically. Drake gave me a half smile and walked towards a police man, probably to sort everything out and find a way to get home.

I turned to Sean. "Sorry I put you through all of this. If you want to go home..."

"No, I'll drive you, and, uh, Emma?" he said, and I looked up at him, waiting for him to go on. "Something's not right about Drake. I don't know what it is yet, but I know it's something."


	6. Conflicting Views

**A/N: I am so so sorry that this is so short - I'm also sorry that I haven't updated in months. I lost interest in the fic, but I think I might start it up again. Thank you guys for being so patient.**

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CHAPTER 6

"Conflicting Views"

We rushed to the hospital and hurriedly spoke with the front desk to find the room Manny was in. I was surprised Sean stayed with me through it all. I truly thought he would have bailed by now. Not that I wanted him to, of course. It was nice having him around, but in the back of my head I was still angry at him for the way we ended things a couple years ago, and for the way he stayed in Wasaga.

"Emma?" said Manny in a groggy voice when we reached her room. It was strange seeing her like this.

"Are you okay?" I asked her, at a loss for words. I wasn't really sure what I was supposed to say. She'd betrayed me so many times, yet here I was.

"Yeah, I'm just kind of confused about what happened," Manny told me slowly. I was surprised she hadn't mentioned Sean, so I glanced behind me for a second, only to realize he wasn't there.

"You hit someone," I explained.

"No, no I remember that. It wasn't my fault, though, you know that right?" she said, and I only stared at her. Maybe she just didn't remember right. It was probably all a blur by now.

"You ran a red light, and you hit someone," I clarified a little.

She shook her head. "It was yellow, not red. The other car went before it was green. I swear I'm not lying! Do the police think it's my fault?" Manny seemed a little frantic and I wasn't sure what to believe, but she didn't seem very credible right now.

"Uh, are you sure you're remembering right?" I asked her.

"You don't believe me?" she appeared to be getting angry. I didn't want to upset her, but I wanted to know what had happened. Sometimes she would exaggerate or embellish stories to make herself sound better.

"No, it's not that, I just-" I started to say, but Manny cut me off.

"Leave," she ordered, and I widened my eyes. I hadn't meant to make her mad.

"Wait but-" I objected, but she only repeated herself. I sighed and left the room. I could see that Manny and I were growing apart, and it was extremely depressing, considering we'd been the best of friends since Kindergarten. It was like all of our issues had been slowly growing, and then yesterday everything just toppled over, and there was nothing I could do about it.

I found Sean waiting in the lobby and sat down next to him. He looked up at me, but I focused my gaze on the floor.

"That was quick," he commented curiously.

"I never got to ask you my question," I said, not moving my eyes. I couldn't see his expression, but I just assumed he was allowing me to continue. I felt like it might be a little awkward, though.

"Why did you offer to help me find Manny?" I'd been curious ever since I had gotten into the car with him. It was strange. One minute we were fighting and the next he was willing to help me? It just didn't fit.

"Manny's my friend. Why wouldn't I help find my friend?" Sean answered, as if it was obvious. Part of me was disappointed. I almost wished he did it for me, like maybe he had some unresolved feelings for me. Maybe he even came back for me. But another part of me was relieved. I needed to move on, and maybe this was the closure I had been waiting for.

"Yeah, sorry. It was a stupid question," I quickly covered up.

"I'll take you home," he said, and for some reason it almost sounded rude.


End file.
